On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:06:26 -0800, Winston
wrote:

wrote:
On Dec 30, 2:35 am, Gunner wrote:

(...)

Check out the videos...

http://www.fencepostpuller.net/index.html

As a side note..the few times Ive had to pull "plugs"..Ive simply used a
wire cable lanyard, looped around the plug and a boat winch on a stand
to simply suck them out of the ground.

Gunner

(...)
I'd use a webbing sling but I agree.
Karl

I've pulled 'healthy' posts and footings out of
the ground using a hydraulic jack and web strap.
It is amazing how elastic those web straps are
at 250% of their rated load....

I'll bet. But why would it take that much pull? You soak the ground
beforehand, oui?


I agree with you, Gunner that an aircraft cable
lanyard is probably the only way to fly.

Yeah, around the footer. I've only pulled one that way but it came
easily.


Pulling un-rotted posts is relatively quick,
but it comprises a very small proportion of the
challenge.

Usually, I find that the post is mostly rotted
at (and below) grade so the challenge is to
pull that mess out of the ground efficiently.
I have not discovered the best way to do this so
I break up the footing with a chipping hammer
and pull the various bits of rotted post and
footing out of the hole by hand.

I found that most of the wood will drill out easily, then I put a
digging bar in the middle of the footer and break it into 4 slabs,
ideally.

There has got to be a better way!

Very occasionally, the post will be so rotted that
I can lift it out of the footing in large pieces.
On those occasions, I undermine the footing with a
shovel, route my web strap through the square hole
and pop the footing out of the ground using the
jack.

There ya go. I need to replace the springs on a farm jack I got which
was in a fire. I think it might work as a post jack, but once it dries
up enough to run that hot lead to my battery, I'll finish the
installation of the little winch on my truck. A triangular steel
framework with a pulley on top (plus a truck/winch) would be ideal for
lots of things.


I fantasize about using some powder actuated
masonry fasteners to attach 'stamp eye' end fittings
to the footer, then popping the mess out of the
ground en masse.

Nevahoiduvit.


Anybody done that? I'm all ears.

I think an 8" eye bolt might be usable. Drill, lag into the somewhat
rotted wood, and pull vertically. As a che^H^H^Hfrugal SOB, I liked
that spare tire puller, but a direct vertical pull is best, I'm sure.

P.S: Boy, are your fantasies dull. Masonry?

--
Most people assume the fights are going to be the right versus the left,
but it always is the reasonable versus the jerks.
-- Jimmy Wales